Opening A Key To The Past

- Bedford Now photo by BRYAN BOSCH
Eighth grader Patrick Dillon, 14, uses a saw to open a time capsule Monday morning at Bedford Junior High School. National Junior Honor Society students gathered by the school's sign to dig up and open a time capsule left by NJHS students in 1987.

Once the officers dug far enough to unearth the time capsule, another group of kids started sawing off the end.

After it was opened, Mr. Thompson held up the items.

Inside, the time capsule contained a Monroe Evening News from 1987, a list of all of the teachers who were at the school during that year, yearbook photos, a Bronco Bulletin, which was the school’s newsletter and a $1 bill, which was dated from 1985.

“Oh my,” 14-year-old Olivia Przeniczny said as Mr. Thompson opened up the old newspaper. “It looks so different now.”

Olivia said she was surprised at what the time capsule contained.

“I didn’t think it would be paper,” she said.

Pamela Pilewski, an eighth-grade English teacher and current NJHS advisor, said she has known about the time capsule for about 10 years.

“We were waiting until 25 years to bring it up,” Mrs. Pilewski said. “We are working on some things to put in it this week.”

The kids will create a new time capsule to be buried later this week.

“Some of the things they have talked about putting in there are Twinkies because they never go bad and maybe a picture,” she said.

Hannah Waters, 14, said she would like to continue the tradition of placing items in a time capsule.

“I would like to put in some similar things,” she said. “Like a newspaper from now and maybe a newsletter.”